Pinch yourself and remember that Thursday’s matchup between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the visiting Montreal Alouettes is actually the season opener, not pre-season.

All things point toward a lopsided affair for this game. Winnipeg is coming off of a terrible year where they went 6-12 with a rotating cast at quarterback. Starter Buck Pierce played just seven of 18 regular-season games in 2012 due to injuries.

At receiver is last year’s most outstanding rookie, Chris Matthews. He’s a game-day decision to play, nursing an ankle injury he suffered on Sunday. At six-foot-five, he led the Bombers with more than 1,000 receiving yards, and would be replaced with five-foot-10 Isaac Anderson.

A lot is counting on head coach Tim Burke, who will drop the “interim” tag in the off-season after going 4-3 since replacing Paul LaPolice. Look for Pierce to hand the ball off to Chad Simpson, who’s coming off a 1,000-yard rookie season.

Montreal went through a coaching change of its own, but for different reasons. Dan Hawkins will replace Marc Trestman, who left to coach the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Leaving the team in Anthony Calvillo’s capable hands could be the plan for Hawkins’ first CFL win. Calvillo, entering his 20th season, will once again have 1,000-yard receivers in S.J. Green and Jamel Richardson. He also gets a new weapon with the arrival of Arland Bruce III.

Both teams are winless in the pre-season — usually a non-factor, but Winnipeg was embarrassed in both games, losing a combined 76-6. It could be an ugly opening day in a beautiful new stadium at Investors Group Field.

Who wins? Alouettes.

FRIDAY, JUNE 28

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-0) at Toronto Argonauts (0-0), 7 p.m. ET, TSN

Taming the stray cats

Hamilton starts the season much closer to home than during actual home games, but don’t expect the reigning Grey Cup champions, the Argos, to go easy on the homeless Tabbies.

The Argos title defence starts with an intact core and fresh contracts — quarterback Ricky Ray, running back Chad Kackert and slotback Chad Owens all have new deals and are healthy. The only thing that has really changed for Toronto since its Grey Cup win is on the defensive side of the ball. A revamped defensive line is younger and more athletic than in the past, acquiring Kahlil Mitchell from B.C., while the secondary may have some growing pains with Matt Black’s first start at safety.

Toronto may get a break in the first week with the absence of standout holdout Chris Williams. The Tabbies have done well in pre-season without him — in two wins, they outscored their opponents 85-26. But Williams was the Ticats’ biggest threat — he represented a third of the team’s total scoring, nearly half of their special teams yards and a quarter of the team’s receiving yards.

It launched pivot Henry Burris to his best statistical season with 5,367 yards and 43 touchdowns. He can’t be replaced. The Ticats have hopes that Kent Austin will right the ship. He was hired as their head coach, general manager and vice-president of player operations. The last time he was in the CFL, he was seen holding the Grey Cup.

Who wins? Argonauts.

B.C. Lions (0-0) at Calgary Stampeders (0-0), 10 p.m. ET, TSN

Reigning in the emotions

It’s a rematch of last year’s West final, but the B.C. Lions have made sure not to be the same team that was the class of the West, but shocked in the playoffs.

Arland Bruce III was released and Geroy Simon was shipped to Saskatchewan. But like the Argos, the Lions firmed up their core with new deals for core players including sure-bet quarterback Travis Lulay, who gets a new weapon in Emmanuel Arceneaux, retuning from the NFL, where he spent most of the time on the practice roster.

Flood relief efforts in Calgary could fuel an emotional game for the Stamps. Mayor Naheed Nenshi is expected to address the crowd before the game, which will go ahead as scheduled at McMahon Stadium.

The big question in Calgary will be if Drew Tate can step up this year. He has promised to play every game, after last season’s injury saw Kevin Glenn step up in relief. Sophomore receiver Joe West is expected to play after missing most of the past month with a groin strain. His return is especially important with the departure of Romby Bryant to Toronto.

The Stamps will have their hands full as Canadian back Andrew Harris will want to build on a successful 1,000-yard season with the Lions last year.

Both the Stamps and the Lions are solid teams with no signs of weakness. If Tate goes down in Game One, Glenn can easily stand in. This should be a toss up between revenge for the Lions and the city of Calgary needing some positive news.

The Eric Tillman era is over in Edmonton. He replaced the general manager who traded Ricky with Ed Hervey and who quickly locked up the new pivot, Mike Reilly. A lot is riding on the new kid in town, who has been in the shadow of the Lion’s Travis Lulay, including a pre-season 27-22 win over his former club. In front of Reilly is a revamped line, which has yet to be tested in the regular season.

Their first test won’t be easy — the Eskimos are going up against a good defence that supposedly improved with a rebuild in the prairie and a team that will be looking to become the Grey Cup champs when they host the big game in their backyard this year.

Only Keith Shologan will return to the same position he was in last year for the Roughriders. That number would have been two, but lineman Tearrius George is sitting out Week 1 with a suspension for a helmet-on-helmet hit on in the 2012 playoffs. They have a new pair defensive ends, including Argos standout Ricky Foley.

It boils down to a matchup between a new offence and a new defence. In Edmonton’s case, at least it needed fixing. Look for the new Eskies to try and prove themselves Saturday.

Who wins? Edmonton.

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